Immigration or Asylum
It was reported in the Huffington Post today that a Ms. Sara Beltran-Hernandez has been detained at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas since November 2015. Her New York family members have been petitioning for asylum for years when it was discovered last week that Ms. Hernandez was in need of brain surgery.
Earlier this month, Ms. Hernandez complained of headaches, nose bleeds, and loss of memory. Last week she collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and physicians determined she was in need of brain surgery.
Family spokesperson, Melissa Zuniga, claims that last night Ms. Hernandez was forcibly removed from Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth and taken back to the detention center. Zuniga claims Ms Hernandez' hands and feet were tied as she was removed. In addition, Zuniga claims Ms Hernandez is not receiving treatment at the detention center and her nose continues to bleed.
Ms. Hernandez was on a surgery wait list according to Zuniga, but when relatives called Wednesday evening they were told the surgery had been postponed indefinitely. The family says they have been trying since 2015 to get Hernandez released on asylum but no one returns their calls. Now, even as ill as she is, they still cannot get a response from the government or anyone else.
ICE spokesperson Dani Bennett agreed that Ms. Hernandez was discharged on the 22nd and returned to ICE custody. She further stated that Ms. Hernandez will have access to 24 hour care and treatment at an outside facility.
What the article fails to address is why Ms. Hernandez was being detained. Logic dictates this young woman didn't have the correct papers as she was requesting asylum from El Salvador.
Another reasonable argument that can be made is her 2 year detainment. Why has it taken so long for her to be presented before a judge? Another question that can be asked, is why has her family been ignored for so long? There appears, at first glance, more to this story than meets the eye. If it is willful blindness on the part of the government for 2 years it is criminal.
If it is benign neglect it is still criminal.
Trump Administration memo
While the Trump Administration has brought a glaring light to the immigration issue it has also done some good in bringing cases like Ms. Hernandez' s in front of the American people. Certainly a young woman and mother kept in a detention center for over 2 years and now diagnosed with a brain tumor would be considered an emergency situation. Because of her, one must wonder how many others like her are out there?
Confusion continues to rain on the illegal aliens that have crossed into the United States. While the Obama administration focused on deporting illegal immigrants who had been convicted of a violent offence the Trump memos seem to indicate that in the Trump Administration anyone convicted of a criminal offense such as domestic issues, drug issues, and other non-violent criminal offenses will be deported back to their home country.
In El Salvador, deportations were at an all time high under the Obama Administration. The country is suffering because those that came and worked in the U.S. as undocumented aliens were returned home leaving the country and their families to suffer the loss of income from the United States they depended upon. El Salvador is one of the most murderous countries in the world. Under President Obama over 2.5 million people were deported back to El Salvador and now President Trump will increase the numbers. Working illegal aliens were the backbone of the El Salvadorian economy, but for Sara Beltran-Hernandez it may not matter anymore.
